Shocked at her friend's words, Tang Qiu cast an apologetic glance at Jiang Shaocheng before shutting off the speaker. "You've told me all this before, Qingqing. He's my husband. Stop talking about him like that."
She was still refusing to see reason. "Stop caring so much about that man. It's not like he has much time left anyway. Won't you at least try to listen? Senior Ning Mufan is everything a girl could want. You're going to break my heart if you keep this up, you know."
Tang Qiu knew her friend only meant the best for her. Otherwise, she would have hung up long ago. But these words would only wound Jiang Shaocheng if he heard them. "Me and Ning Mufan are just fellow students of Professor Sun. We know each other in passing, nothing more. So please, stop getting the wrong idea about us."
Tang Qiu was acutely aware of her position. Ning Mufan was the young master of the Ning family, born into wealth and nobility. There was simply too stark a divide between their backgrounds. She harbored no illusions that she would have been able to marry him, even if she hadn't already been married.
On the other end of the phone, Xie Qingqing longed to scream at Tang Qiu and knock some sense into that thick head of hers. "I can safely swear that Ning Mufan treats you differently, and it has nothing to do with Professor Sun." Otherwise, why would he have taken the time to call her and verify that Tang Qiu was married? His tone had been so full of disbelief, so full of denial, that it had to be a cover for his underlying feelings. If he didn't like Tang Qiu, her name wasn't Xie Qingqing.
"Maybe it was just his first time seeing someone get married as a sophomore. I'm busy now, Qingqing. I'll talk to you later. Bye."
Xie Qingqing was left to listen to the beeping dial tone of the phone in her hand, speechless.
Tang Qiu hung up and met her husband's dark, brooding gaze. A pang of guilt shot through her. "That was my best friend. She's been worrying about me ever since we got married. She didn't mean any harm, though. Don't take her seriously. It's hard to talk about these things over the phone… I'll explain things to her some other time, so she'll stop saying stuff like that." There was a pause. "I'm sorry."
Jiang Shaocheng must have been deeply hurt, because he let out a pained groan, then started coughing. Alarmed, Tang Qiu apologized once more, but he said, "You don't… don't need to apologize." His words were punctuated by more coughs. "She's not wrong, anyway. I know about all my health problems… I'd only hold you back. You should make plans… to give yourself a better future."
His coughing grew even more vigorous. Tang Qiu was stricken. Earlier, he hadn't coughed even once when helping her translate the materials; he must be truly aggrieved to be suddenly struck by a coughing fit like this.
"It's not like that at all, dear. The only plans I have are for you to undergo treatment and have a speedy recovery."
He met her gaze. "You wish for me to recover quickly?"
"Of course!" No one had ever been half as kind to her as him. She wished with all her heart that he would go on to live a long and fruitful life.
Jiang Shaocheng's coughing ceased. He beckoned to her, and she obediently knelt in front of him, lifting her head to gaze up at him. "You really don't mind me being ill, Qiu?"
She shook her head. She was a medical student; plus, she had general knowledge to back her up. His legs had likely suffered a nerve injury, which is why he couldn't engage in intercourse. And his frequent coughs were probably the result of his past accident with the fire having inflicted damage onto his lungs. What was there to be afraid of?
Jiang Shaocheng stroked her hair. "Then you'll have to kiss me to prove it, Qiu."
A look of helplessness flashed in Tang Qiu's eyes. Everytime he was unhappy, he would demand a kiss, like a child. But she smiled and raised her head to kiss him on the lips. "I wasn't lying to you. I remember how kindly you've treated me, and I treasure it greatly."
"So this is only because of how kindly I've treated you?" Something flickered in Jiang Shaocheng's gaze. If other men were nice to her, would she respond to them in the same way? The thought made his face darken.
"You're not allowed to behave like this with other men, understand? Only me."
His demeanor had suddenly shifted, becoming chilly, his voice cold enough to make her shiver. Tang Qiu was caught between bewilderment and a rising sense of danger. She made to flee, but Jiang Shaocheng suddenly seized her in an embrace, trapping her. She stared at him, at a loss.
"What's the matter with you, dear?"
Her soft voice made the tension in Jiang Shaocheng's muscles dissolve. He clamped down on the urge for violence inside of him, lowering his head to plant a comforting kiss on her lips. "I'm sorry if I frightened you."
Tang Qiu angled her head up at him. "Why were you angry all of a sudden, dear?"
Jiang Shaocheng met her gaze. "I wasn't angry. But you have to promise me that you'll never leave me."
"I promise."
Jiang Shaocheng's icy manner dissipated. It was like he had become a different person entirely. "Go continue with your work. I'll be with you here."
Tang Qiu was perplexed, but she had her schoolwork to complete, so she pushed her doubts to the back of her mind and thought no more of them.
Meanwhile, Jiang Shaocheng pushed his wheelchair aside and took out his mobile phone to contact He Lei.
The man who was with the young mistress today is called Ning Mufan, He Lei's text read. He's the son of the Ning Group and a third-year medical student with excellent grades. He and the young mistress are both assistants to the same professor, and sometimes cross paths.
Jiang Shaocheng replied, Find a reason to get him out of this country.